Wave-motor



(No Model.) z'sheets-sheez 1. R. J. ROBINSON 82: W. A. NELDEN.

` WAVE MOTOR. No. 606,632. Patented June 28,1898.

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(No Model.)

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. v R. J. ROBINSON & W. A. NELDEN.

WAVE MOTOR No.v 6065 32.

a JN EN ORS H7 ilarlney W/TNEssEs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT JOHN ROBINSON AND wILLIAMANDERsON NELD'EN, OF 's'iALT LAKE OITY, UTAH.l t

WAVE-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters :Patent NO. 606,632, dated June 28, 1898. Application filed September 3, 1897. Serial No. 650,513. (No model.)

y thereon.

Our invention relates to improvements in tation ina single direction and also to generally improve upon devices of this character. 1

To these ends the invention consists inthe.

hereinafter described and f to the driving-shaft, and to the pulley upon vthe'driving-shaft is connected the belt for claimed. l In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view,.partly inv section. Fig. 2 is va sectional side eleva'tion,pand Fig. 3 is a detail of the rack and pinion. f

ing machinery for transmitting motion to' a driving-shaft, double racks supported by the Walls of the dock, and pinions'upon suitable Ashafts carried by the lioat, said pinions meshing with the'racks, whereby in the movement of the float upon the water-and consequent movement of the pinions along the racks the shafts are rotated.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 l represent the side wallsv of' a dock or similar structure, and 2 represents i f the float, one shaft beinglocated near each end, and' each of these shafts projects beyond one of the side walls. The projections are arranged upon opposite sides of the float and are provided with pinions c',which mesh with the racks e upon the doek sides, this opposite 'arrangement being for the purpose of steadying the float in its movement. Sprocketwheels c2 are located uponthe power-shaft o.

A suitable driving-shaft m, provided with the usual balance-wheel m' and driving-pulley m2, `is centrally journaled upon the sides of the float, said driving-shafthaving also the sprocket-wheels m3 near its ends,while upon each set of beams a2 is journaled a countershaft n, carrying large and small sprocketwheels n' n2. Suitable sprocket-chains o con- 'nect each sprocket c? with the small sprocket n2 upon the neighboring counter-shaft, and other chains o connect the small sprockets jupon the drivin g-shaft with the large sprockets' upon the counter-shafts. Thus when motion is given the power-shafts it is transmitted transmittingthe power as may be desired. In order to throw the machinery in the iioat into'and out of operation, each sprocket-wheel Generally speaking, th'epresent motor includes a oat located between the walls of a dock or similar structure', said float contain-hv A@zand shaft c is provided with suitable clutch mechanism r. There isherein illustrated what'is known in the trade as the Reeves clutch, and as its construction is well understood and forms no part of the present inven- 'tion it will not be further described.

Passing now to the parts for giving rotation tothe power-shaft c, a rack e is let into each side wall of the dock, each rack comrising aback late e and side flanges e2 these flanges being provided with inwardlyprojecting teeth e3. Each rack is set diagonally in the wall, so that as the iioat rises the pinions will follow the racks and be rotated,

the same result following as the float descends. The pinions engage the upper rows of teeth as the iioat ascends and the lower rows as the oatvdescends, so that each pinion is constantly rotated in the same direc-l tion. Of course the distance between the rows of teeth in each rack is greater than the diameter of the pinion, so that ysaid pinioncan freely rotate, and preferably the te'ethof the racks approach the vertical, while the teeth of the pinions are correspondingly oblique to the radii, so that the pinions take firmly into the racks.

IOO

Manifestly the float can be placed between merely the side walls, or,ifpreferre(l,en d walls canbe built, thus inclosing the oat, said end walls being provided with suitable inlet and outlet gates 3 et, respectively. Of course power could be taken directly from one of the power-shafts c, and, if desired, only one power-shaft, counter-shaft, rbc., need be employed. In the present structure, however, the duplication of parts increases the power and also tends to balance and regulate the movement of the iioat.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A wave-motor or the like comprising a stationary rack, a second stationary rack, a Iioat adapted to reciprocate along the racks, a power-shaft upon said float, and a pinion upon said shaft adapted to engage one of the racks in one movement ofthe float and to engage the other rack in the reverse movement of said float; substantially as described.

2. A wave-motor or the like comprising a frame, a power-shaft upon said frame, a pinion upon said shaft, and an obIiquely-set rack adapted to mesh with the pinion for rotating the shaft, one of the members, the rack or the frame, heilig vertically and horizontally movable along the other; substantially as described. l

3. A wave-motor or the like comprising a frame, a power-shaft upon said frame, a pinion n pon said shaft, and an obliquely-set double rack with which the pinion is adapted to mesh, one of the members, the rack or the frame having vertical and horizontal reciprocation along the other; substantially as described.

4. A wave-motor or the like comprising a frame, a power-shaft upon said frame, a pinion upon said shaft, and an obliquely-set double rack having the teeth of one rack facing the teeth of the other, the pinion being adapted to engage the racks, and one of the members, the frame or the rack, having vertical and horizontal reeiprocation along the other; substantially as described.

5. A wave-motor or the like comprising an obliquely-set stationarydonble rack, a reciprocating oat, a power-shaft upon said float, and a pinion upon said shaft adapted to engage one set ot teeth in the rack in one movement of the float, and the other set of teeth in the reverse movement of the Iloat; subu stantially as described.

G. A wave-motor or the like comprising a oat, power-shafts upon said float, a drivingshaft upon the Iioat between said powershafts, cross-beams between the side walls of said float, sets of longitudinal beams between the cross-beams, a counter-shaft journaled upon each set of longitudinal beams, connections between the power-shafts and the counter-shafts and between the countershafts and the driving-shaft, stationary members at the sides of the float, and means between the stationary members and the powershafts for rotating the latter in the reciprocation of the float; substantially as described.

7. In a mechanism of the character indicated, an obliquely-set rack, and a pinion adapted to mesh therewith, the teeth of said rack inclining in a direction opposite to the path of travel of the pinion, and the teeth of the pinion being correspondingly oblique to the radii of the pinion; substantially as described.

Iu testimony whereof we allix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ROllllIl'l .IOIIN ROBINSON. WILLIAM ANDERSON NlllillllN.

\Vitnesses:

MARY BANDS, CHARLES I3. SvKEs. 

